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Kennebunk’s Marshall Lowery swims to a first-place finish in the 200 IM at the Class B state meet on Monday.
Kennebunk’s Marshall Lowery swims to a first-place finish in the 200 IM at the Class B state meet on Monday.
BRUNSWICK — The Kennebunk girls swimming and diving team picked up two individual golds as the Rams finished third in the team standings behind champion Greely and second-place Cape Elizabeth at Monday’s Maine High School Girls Class B State Swimming and Diving Championships

Kennebunk was led by Emma Patterson, who placed first in all three one-meter diving events, with total scores of 343.20, 240.85, and 153.20. Marshall Lowery gave the Rams their lone first-place finish in a swimming event, taking the top spot in the 200 Individual Medley with a time of 2:09.42. Britta Brown (2.26.02) also medaled by finishing eighth in the event.

“We’re definitely well-rounded,” Kennebunk coach Andrew Coulombe said. “The IM in particular is one of our stronger events as a team, which definitely shows are versatility.”

Isabel Harms (1:59.87) took second place in the 200 free for Kennebunk, finishing behind Cape Elizabeth freshman Olivia Tighe (1:55.48). Harms (third place, 5:21.72) also finished a spot behind Tighe (second place, 5:18.41) in the 500 free event.

Renee Nichols, Harms, Lowery and Brown finished in fifth place in the 200 medley relay.

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“We swam really well,” Coulombe said of his squad. “It was going to be very difficult to contend with Cape (Elizabeth) and Greely. They’re very strong and very deep. But I’m proud of the way we gave it our best shot. We left it all in the water.”

The quickest event of Monday’s may have also been the loudest.

Morse’s Ann Tolan captured a new 50-yard freestyle state record in front of an electric crowd at Bowdoin College as the Shipbuilders went on to take fifth place overall with 177 points. Greely took the crown with 321 points, followed by Cape Elizabeth in second with 314 points. Kennebunk came in third place with 222 points, and Mount Desert Island finished just two points ahead of Morse in fourth place.

“They did great,” Morse coach Todd Marco said of his team. “We had best times and everybody kind of stepped it up some. Brittany Kaler really moved up in her event and Ella Martin moved up in her event, so it was an all-around good day.”

Tolan’s 50 free time of 23.39 betters the state record previously held by Leila Johnson (23.56) and marks a new meet record.

“It’s a really great feeling,” Tolan said. “I’ve had the goal set all year. Going into today, I wasn’t really thinking about the time, I was just thinking about my swim. Thinking about what I could control. Things I couldn’t control, I tried not to worry about. I’m extremely happy.”

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The Shipbuilders’ leading swimmer also dominated the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 51.49, less than a second off of the Johnson state record of 51.02 and almost four seconds faster than Cape Elizabeth’s Alicia Lawrence (55.14).

“Her motivation is just great,” Marco said of Tolan. “Her drive is unbelievable. She just has great drive.”

Tolan, who is now a back-to-back state champion in the 50 free, didn’t swim in the event at the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference meet where her team finished second, and she was excited to compete in it on Monday because “It’s all-out, nice and short.”

Her time narrowly beat the Bowdoin pool record of 23.40, earning her the meet’s Outstanding Performer award, along with All-American consideration.

Emma Warner and Ella Martin teamed up with Tolan and Kaler for the 400 freestyle relay, where the group finished third with a time of 3:48.08. Tolan, Kaler, Martin, and Leah Totman also finished third in the 200 medley relay (1.55.00). The Cape Elizabeth and Greely relay teams finished first and second in both events.

Kaler (1:01.67) took second in the 100 backstroke event, behind Kennebunk’s Marshall Lowery (56.91.) and Martin (56.24) grabbed third in the 100 fly, just behind Lawrence (55.14) and her teammate Tolan.

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“It’s very good,” Marco said. “We have no seniors. The kids we had this year did a great job, and I’m looking for much better next season.”

Lydia DaCorte headlined the meet for Mount Desert Island, taking two first-place finishes in the 100 fly (57.55) and 500 free (5:05.68.) Her 500 free time, which bested both Tighe and Harms by over 12 and 14 seconds, is a new meet record.

DaCorte was also a part of two fourth-place finishing relay teams for MDI. For the first, the 200 medley relay, she teamed up with Mary Ellen Sharp, Aubrie Boyce, and Eliza Schleif and produced a time of 1:56.01. DaCorte and Schleif, along with Maddie Woodworth and Anna Naggert, were also in the 400 free relay to close out the meet, finishing with a time of 3:48.86.

Boyce also swam in the 100 breaststroke (1:12.09) and 100 fly (1:03.69), where she finished fourth and eighth respectively.

Foxcroft Academy finished seventh overall with 144 points, 16 behind Yarmouth in sixth place.

Leading the way was sophomore Jenna Clukey, who finished third in the 200 free (2:02.57) and sixth in the 100 fly (1:02.36). Senior Avery Carroll finished fourth in the 200 IM (2:18.64).

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The pair, along with Gabie Johnson and Alice Russo, also finished third in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:46.71.

Rounding out the top 10, John Bapst Memorial (120) took eighth and Ellsworth (107) finished ninth. Tenth place went to Camden Hills with 101 points.

Other results for Morse include Martin finishing fifth in the 50 free (25.37), Warner finishing 26th in the 100 free, and Zenaide McCarthy also finishing 26th in the 100 backstroke.

Richmond’s Taylor Paulison finished 10th in the 100 backstroke (1:06.10) and 13th in the 200 free (2:10.88).


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